Former WVU Student Administration President Jayne E. Armstrong has established a program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences to encourage women to seek leadership roles in their careers and communities and to facilitate networking among potential women leaders on campus.
The Jayne Armstrong Women’s Leadership Program has been created through the establishment of an endowment with the WVU Foundation Inc. as part of the Building Greatness Campaign: West Virginia University. The program will fund a regular lecture, workshop, or special event to increase the understanding of the roles that women entrepreneurs, executives, and other professionals are playing in today’s marketplace. In addition, the program will introduce students to women role models.
The inaugural Jayne Armstrong Women’s Leadership Program is scheduled for this evening in the Mountainlair’s Shenandoah Room and will feature a workshop lead by Julie M. Smith, a founding partner of the Continuous Learning Group (CLG), a management consulting firm with 150 employees and offices in Morgantown, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, San Francisco, London and Singapore. Attendance at this first Armstrong event is by invitation only.
Smith earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in psychology at WVU in 1984 and 1987 respectively. She was affiliated with WVU ’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies for several years before she and two colleagues formed CLG . The firm is known for its innovative techniques in applying the theories of behavior analysis to performance and change management in complex organizations. Numerous Fortune 100 firms are among the firm’s clients. Smith is a member of the Eberly College’s Advisory Board.
Jayne E. Armstrong, who served as student body president during the 1986-1987 academic year, is director of the Delaware District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She manages the SBA ’s financial assistance, business development, and counseling programs for the state.
A native of Pittsburgh, Armstrong earned a bachelor of science in journalism degree from WVU in 1987 and a master’s degree in educational leadership in 1991. She has worked in a variety of positions in advertising, business development, and education development in the mid-Atlantic region, including in the nation’s capital.
“We so pleased that Jayne Armstrong has chosen to establish this important program for the benefit of young women at WVU ,”said M. Duane Nellis, dean of the Eberly College. She serves on the visiting committee for the college’s Center for Women’s Studies.